Better Than Jack

Long cold day fishing for perch - blank! Glad I chucked a lure about on the way home - got to love a jack blank-saver. A pike added to the challenge - but the target of 20 might be slipping away...

Snow Melt

Not ideal conditions, fishing in the snow-melt - but at least it wasn't freezing cold! And a herring deadbait lowered into a little slack soon brought a run - convinced I was attached to a twenty - but at 19lb 10oz I'm not complaining! Glad I'm not counting the hours-per-pike though.

Records: 1.3 (falling), 3° (cold/bright), float-ledgered herring.

Double Dip

The pike fishing is slow - did I mention that before? So thought I'd chuck out a cube of meat as well - see if I can get something to pull the line while I'm waiting! Two barbel and 2 chub, and of course no pike!


Better than a blank - far, far better! Think it might be the way forward this season (when not traveling ultra-light with the lure gear). And while I'm on about lures - a Wye sea trout with eyes bigger than her belly!

(Non) Frozen VII

Our annual Xmas fish-off, Dyl couldn't make it and our regular pond was closed - so me and Steve headed for Kingfisher pond. With Dylan missing in action this time I just needed a fish to avoid coming last :-)


Boom - not last this year...


Tough going, time for a bacon sandwich and a cup of tea...


Steve levelled the score 1-1...


2-1, but not safe yet...


3-1, a rare fly-fishing win for me. (All trout returned alive).


And of course the obligatory pints..!

Scorecard	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	--
Brian	1	4	1	0	--	2	--	2	3	--	13
Dylan	4	1	2	1	--	4	--	1	--	--	13
Steve	2	5	1	1	--	3	--	1	1	--	14

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Xmas Pike

Couple of hours chucking a lure about on Boxing Day - walking off a massive (and fab) Christmas lunch. And a pike! Cracking fight and my old friend, 12lb 2oz (R) - but it's tough going - so very welcome!!


A bit worrying for the pike population; a recapture with so few pike caught. But two other follows (hard to see in the dirty water, may have been more), one smaller, one slightly larger than the pike landed.

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Records: Lure: White Beetle Spin (½ oz) Height: 1.3 (falling) Weather: Mild/Misty (8°)

Oh No, Not You!

Few days in The London - so back on the Small River for a few hours here and there - just to see if the barbel had missed me!


Looking back through my extensive records I know it's tough going in December - but just great to be back on my old stomping grounds...


Stalking fish - I was only fishing for the ones I could spot first - far more exciting - so mostly walking about staring at the river...


But did find a few - even with low light and overgrown swims working against me. Total of 7 December barbel & 2 chub - bloody lovely!


With the River Wye not treating me kindly this season I think I might be back next year - I really think they miss me..!


Oh, and my cancer scan was negative - great news. And had a new tooth put in - which is why I didn't have much time.


Wednesday 18 December (1 hour)
Barbel: 7lb 1oz & 5lb

Thursday 19 December (3 hours)
Barbel: 5lb, 5lb, 4½lb & 2½lb. Chub: 1½lb

Friday 20 December (2 hours)
Barbel: 5lb. Chub: 3lb

Mojo

Saturday: On the river at 7am, first task; catch some livebait - no takers - back in bed by 9.30! F*ck it - can't catch pike anyway. There have been some big perch & chub coming out - but I'm on a pike mission, just not catching any pike. Loosing my mojo - and my desire to keep going out - not going to bother on Sunday either.


Sunday: OK, I'll give it two hours wandering about with a lure. And I'm glad I did; one landed, one missed and 2 follows (different pike). I can work with that! The one that found the net (after a spectacular fight) went 12lb 3oz - second best of the season so far. She did break the lure (I fished the tail out of her throat) - but never mind - mojo charging...

November Skunk

Sometimes you have a run of good fortune in fishing - and that certainly wasn't the case in November! Blank after blank after blank, a lot of time on the river without a run on the pike gear.


Eventually managed a little jack on a lure during Storm Bert - and after not seeing a fish for weeks it was worth getting soaked for!! Let's hope the December pike are more forthcoming - fingers crossed!


Roger had a much better month - despite hardly fishing - managing his first six pound plus Wye chub. A quest that has taken decades was rewarded with a 6lb 1½oz beast - and he is rightly chuffed - nice one!

One On, One Off!

After a dawn to dusk blank - not a run all day - I was back on the riverbank the next morning (dragged myself out). Fortunately three runs; perch (first of the season), a pike and a pike lost to a hook-pull.


Six pike landed, and six lost this season (all hook-pulls, including lure & bait) - got to improve that ratio - not finding enough to keep losing them! Can't see anything wrong - might have just been unlucky so far.

Pike: Consolation Prize

Unusually for me I decided to sit it out in one swim all day - the spot where I lost the big pike before the flood. It took a while to catch a livebait - but once I had I watched him work around the slack all day. It looked perfect, and so did my bait when I set him free as it got dark!

No pike - I was expecting some blanks - but they're always disappointing. I did however stick a cube of meat out on a sleeper rod (this stretch is known for some big chub). The alarm screamed off twice; a 6lb barbel and a cracking 5lb 11oz chub - what a blank-saver!